I try to focus on process with my kids. If the process is good, we praise them regardless of the results. We cheer hard work! But I also say a good process usually leads to good results. So it was a very gratifying day for us when my 11YO crushed her Jr Lifeguard test after weeks of prepping for it!

I was working on a spec pilot but yesterday I put it down and pivoted to a new idea. So I wanted to do this week’s #Scriptsky #Screenwriting thread on WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU’RE UNSURE HOW TO PROCEED WITH AN IDEA. i.e. I used to think this was a great idea but now I’m worried it might be dog shit! 🧵1

This was only the third best speech The Boss gave last night. It’s a lesson in communication for the Democrats in Congress. At one point, while he was speaking, the mild-mannered 60 YO woman two seats away from me stood up and, through tears, started screaming, “Fuck yeah, Bruce! Fuck yeah!”

Saw Bruce Springsteen for the first time last night. Give yourself a little gift and go see him too if you can. Then give yourself another little gift and picture Trump being forced to watch the whole show.

When the war with Iran is going so bad you feel the need to shift attention back to the Epstein Files…

My daughter is visiting the Reagan Library on a school field trip today. You better fucking believe my wife and I briefed her on ALL the things Reagan did that won’t be highlighted in the library.

Bad actors in government and the media have waged a war on truth, but one thing everyone can agree is objectively true: the absolute worst pasta is mother fuckin’ capellini.

I’ll give Trump a little credit. No US President - not George Bush Sr or Jr - have ever lost a war in the Middle East this quickly. And if you’re gonna lose a war, quicker is better, right?

Just a quick #Scriptsky #Screenwriting post about COVER PAGES. Requirements: Title and written by. A good idea: Contact info (ideally for your agent/manager) Maybe: A logo or image that helps establish tone/subject. Hell no: AI art of any kind! When I see it, I instantly dislike the writer.

Holidays ranked by how fun they are: Thanksgiving <Massive Gap> Yom Kippur <Massive Gap> April Fool’s Day

It was at 400 this morning

Made my kids watch Defending Your Life with me. They didn’t like it. Grounds to disown them?

Terrible, TERRIBLE Wordle strategy. Good sign.

Protesting is good for the soul.

You’ve written a great script (or ten) and you finally land representation. Congrats! But now what? Do they just like get you work? Not exactly. So this week’s #Scriptsky #Screenwriting thread is on what to do after you get an agent and/or manager. Spoiler: the same stuff you did beforehand. 🧵1

I saw the most LA thing tonight: a guy wearing a shirt with Kobe on it and Kobe was wearing a Dodgers hat.

My timeline is this dark, barren place devoid of laughter and joy, so every Onion headline feels like manna from heaven.

Hoping this means they can afford to stock the kitchens with honey for my tea.

I took my kids to see Hoppers last night. While not quite in the absolute top tier of Pixar movies, I thought it was very good! Charming, funny, and I never got too far ahead of the story. It looked incredible too. Probably not the best movie for very young children, but a huge hit with my 8/11 YOs.

Some people are naturally more charismatic or better at public speaking than others, but pitching is a skill most people have the ability develop. Like any skill it requires practice. Taking improv classes is great way to learn to think on your feet, yes and, and feel more confident.

You’ve got a great idea, but how do you convince others of just how great it is? Surely, it’s a meritocracy and best pitch wins, right? Wrong! So this week’s #Scriptsky #Screenwriting thread is on HOW TO SELL THE SIZZLE. The little things you can do to get others onboard with your idea. 🧵1

A student asked to meet with me and we made plans to grab a coffee. They no-showed and only let me know they couldn’t make it 30 minutes after our scheduled meet time. Not being respectful of people’s time is a sure-fire way to make an awful impression. Get everywhere early. Build in a buffer!

Spoke to a Dean recently who told me she was adding a How To Use AI class to her curriculum. She said, “I don’t like AI, but I have to include, right? I just feel like my students need to know how to use it.” FUCK NO!!! publichealthpolicyjournal.com/mit-study-fi...

I’m incredibly bummed about this. Dave Harrington has quickly become one of my favorite guitarists and seeing him play with Taper’s Choice from like 5 feet away brought me loads of joy the past few years. I’ll be seeing TC in a couple weeks and I’m sure it’ll be great, but it won’t be the same.

Just when the world feels like it couldn’t possibly get anymore cruel or fucked up, I run out of dental floss exactly 1 day after my CVS Extra Rewards $4 coupon expired. LIFE. IS. PAIN!!!

My amazing coworker @laura-eichhorn.bsky.social always starts off every story with a well-crafted logline. I never used to. But seeing how much it helped her focus her storytelling turned me into a convert. Loglines before and after. #Scriptsky #Screenwriting

On this week’s #Scriptsky #Screenwriting thread, I’m talking STAKES. What are stakes? Well, your protagonist should have a want - a tangible and/or emotional goal. Stakes are the consequences of success and/or failure for that goal. They’re also the reason your protagonist + the audience cares. 🧵1

On this week’s #Scriptsky #Screenwriting thread, I’m talking STAKES. What are stakes? Well, your protagonist should have a want - a tangible and/or emotional goal. Stakes are the consequences of success and/or failure for that goal. They’re also the reason your protagonist + the audience cares. 🧵1

THREAD: I got laid off from NYMag/Vulture after 14 years. The family lost 75% of income + medical. Now mzs.press bookstore, once a side project. is do-or-die for Judith & I. I feel weird telling you this because others are doing much worse. But if you could like or share this, we'd be so grateful!

A quick #Scriptsky #Screenwriting thread on WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW. This is some of the most ubiquitous writing advice but also widely misunderstood. WWYK doesn’t mean only write about the exact things you’ve done. Then there would be no stories about time travel or aliens or dogs playing football. 🧵1

I kept telling the Celtics fans in my life that Tatum would probably be back this season. Having been through an Achilles tear myself, I’m rooting for him.

People tend to talk about the loud, dramatic, graphic scenes on The Pitt, but last night’s episode was a masterclass in balancing those with these incredible quiet moments. And all those quiet moments play so much more impactful because they contrast the chaos of the show. Amazing stuff!

I was like six years late to the party, but absolutely loved the Dolly Parton’s America podcast! I knew she was charming, and a mensch, and a savvy business woman, but I had no idea what an incredible songwriter she was. www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dol...

It’s small potatoes, but reason number 6,355 why these evil fucks have got to go is: Bluesky should largely just be idiots like me making dumb wordplay jokes instead of idiots like me narrating the daily horrors stemming from fascism, corruption, and late-stage capitalism.

It’s a country album. There’s a disco funk vibe. Lots of smooth sax solos. Very political. It’s sexy and raunchy. These elements have no business working in concert with one another, but… somehow they do. Sturgill pulled off one of the best protest albums of my lifetime! youtu.be/QKHGmFvzjJ4?...

I woke up at 4:30 AM and realized that when you’re on a freighter and you’re rooting for a certain member of The Jersey Shore to get into an undefined romantic entanglement, you’re in a… “Situation shipping ship situationship shipping situation.”

A MIDPOINT can make or break your story. The fun & games are over. You need a big turn to hold the audience’s interest and propel your story into the 2nd half. In the Godfather, Michael kills Sollozzo and McCluskey. It raises the stakes and changes him. Forever. 🧵1 #Scriptsky #Screenwriting

When I was a writers’ assistant on The Office, Greg Daniels hated the rocking grandma trope. It became a bit and I named our internal email after it. So imagine my delight when I watched the trailer for Company Retreat (from 2 of The Office writers, Lee Eisenberg & Gene Stupnitsky). Rockin’ Grandma!

A MIDPOINT can make or break your story. The fun & games are over. You need a big turn to hold the audience’s interest and propel your story into the 2nd half. In the Godfather, Michael kills Sollozzo and McCluskey. It raises the stakes and changes him. Forever. 🧵1 #Scriptsky #Screenwriting

I’m gonna post a #Scriptsky #Screenwriting thread in a little bit. It seems ridiculous to be posting about midpoints when <GESTURES TO EVERYTHING>. But maybe it will be a welcome distraction for some of you. I don’t know. I keep on carrying on like normal when normal has become so fucking fucked up.

Strong agree, especially for TV/film writers. I read so much material that feels like "this is what a show sounds like" and not enough that shows off what YOU can do. Mix up your influences! Read like reading is going out of style!* *it is

My 11 year competed against a classmate in a dinner cook off. She made carbonara, sautéed greens from the school garden, and Oreo tiramisu. Her classmate made garlic bread, pesto pasta, and brownies. According to the judges, my kid won. According to me, they’re both winners (but my kid won more).

No #Scriptsky thread this weekend because I was skiing and largely offline all weekend. (That little silhouette in the picture is me.)

11 YO: “Phish is such a dumb name for a band.” Me: “Phish is named after their drummer, Jon Fishman, and the PH was just them being clever.” 11 YO: “What’s your definition of clever?” 8 YO: “Hello, Police, I’d like to report a murder.” Having children is the best way to stay humble.

See y’all at Dicks! (For the people who follow me and don’t listen to Phish, I can assure you this is a totally normal thing to say if you do.)

At 1:30 in the morning, my electric toothbrush turned on without anyone touching it. Then it turned off. A few minutes later, it turned back on. Then off. Then it stayed on no matter what I did. So… broken toothbrush OR am I being haunted by a ghost dentist?

I thought, “So many famous people have died lately. What the hell is going on?” Then I realized, “It’s probably the same number of famous people dying; I’ve just gotten old enough that the people dying actually meant something to me while I was growing up and so their deaths are more impactful.”

Got the day off of work. It’s pouring rain. So I’m gonna spend the day making a new Serious Eats chili verde recipe, reading, and maybe I’ll fuck around and buy myself a new vacuum. Might even make my kids watch The Iron Giant with me.

I really enjoy watching Daniel Donato play guitar in-person. Finally convinced a buddy to check him out and he kept looking over at me with some “holy shit!” eyes.

Andy at the bank in Shawshank cashing out as Randall Stevens made me choke up and cry in theaters from how mf’n joyously brilliant this payoff was